“The best parts of the job for me is the variety and the people."
Chris Oldland is a Deputy Waste and Logistics Manager with GMMH’s Capital, Estates and Facilities (CEF) Department. Chris joined GMMH as a Driver back in 2008 and progressed in his career by furthering his education with qualifications and experience in different estates and facilities roles.
How I got into the role
I chose my first role within the Trust not really knowing what I wanted to do as a career, I was 18 and had not long left college. I had previously thought about a role within a public service. I saw a role with the NHS and decided to apply, it was a Catering Assistant post at Prestwich Hospital. I applied and was successful and I have progressed my career from there.
Working at first within all areas of the kitchen and also driving the van delivering the food. I moved into the Catering Stores on a permeant basis and did a Level 2 NVQ in Warehousing and Stores. This role included some driving, delivering goods to various sites while working in the Stores. I built a good relationship with the Transport Department and when an opportunity came up there, I went for it and I was successful, becoming the Transport Supervisor in 2016.
That role gave me an incredible amount of experience and knowledge. I learnt all about GMMH, all of our sites and what happens at each one, I built relationships with teams across the Trust.
I completed an ILM Level 3 course in Managing Teams and really built my confidence. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was given the opportunity to act up to Logistics Manager, I managed Prestwich Stores in the absence of the Stores Manager, I looked after all the PPE and swabs for the Trust, helped build a vaccine centre at The Curve and organised a mass antibody test for staff across the Trust.
In February this year, I was successful at becoming the Deputy Waste and Logistics Manger. This role combines the management of Transport as well as looking after waste for the Trust. This is another opportunity to learn more and develop myself, I know a lot about waste already however I am learning new things every day. I am also starting my ILM level 5 NVQ which should help me to progress further when the time is right, and an opportunity arises.
What I do
My day to day varies a lot, most days start with checking on my team, making sure everyone is in and are doing ok. I then check my emails and the Help Desk to see if there is anything urgent that needs to be done. I pass work out to the team and then get on with any tasks I have for the day, this might be visiting sites, or attending meetings, it could be completing reports, paying bills as well as manging the day-to-day work of the team. Each day is different and that is one of the best parts of working within Capital, Estates and Facilities (CEF).
The best bits and challenges
The best parts of the job for me is the variety and the people. I enjoy the challenge of looking at different areas of facilities and working with different teams, I could be looking at a post issue at first, then a vehicle breakdown then looking at how to reduce food waste from a GMMH site all in one morning. No day is the same and while everyday has a challenge I enjoy the satisfaction of facing that challenge and producing the best outcome I can for our service users.
The Trust and my line managers have always been really supportive about courses and professional development. I would not be in the role I am in now had I not had the opportunities to complete these courses and develop myself and I owe a lot to different managers over the years for encouraging me to complete these courses.
The benefits outweigh the challenges. I enjoy the challenges and feel a sense of satisfaction from working through them. There are incredible people in the NHS and doing my part to support them to deliver great care is a real positive.
Aspects of the role I didn’t expect
I have had a couple of different roles within the NHS and each one has thrown up things I did not expect. I did not realise how massive waste is until starting my current role. While working as Logistics Manger I learnt new things about PPE and different types of masks that I never expected I would ever need to know.
Working in mental health and going out and about can often bring up situations you did not anticipate you would need to deal with. Once I was going to deliver some medication off site but ended up being part of a police operation to bring a young person, who had absconded on to the motorway, back to our site. The safe conclusion of this gave me a sense I had done something important and helped in someone’s time of need.
Life outside work
I like going to the gym and being active. I like taking my young son out places and doing new things. I am also a season ticket holder at Manchester City, I have been going with my dad since I was 6 years old.
Career advice
I would say to anyone thinking about a career in CEF to go for it! There are so many opportunities with the department as the roles available are so varied. Look at any courses you can do that can help build your skills and confidence. Look at secondments and acting up roles that can help give you experiences of other teams and departments.
